Forgotten Fathers and Found Sons

An adventure in the Forgotten Realms

goblins, zombies and skeletons, oh my

Well, we got all ready for some lake diving after I purified the water in our room, but there wasn’t anything at the bottom but BONES. That’s right, BONES. Lots and lots of(you get the idea). Anyway, after we found nothing,(except some coins and a large ruby) we decided to go be barbarians and kill some stuff. We went back to the secret door we found, and we silently killed a fat goblin, aptly named Balgron the Fat. After ambushing his colleagues, we decided to kill every last one of them. After all, the only good goblin’s a dead goblin. After we cleaned them out, a bell rang and the room was flooded with gobs again. We cleaned them out again, and went on to the next room. Aelar creaked next to a door, gave away our position, and alerted the gobs to our whereabouts. We killed all the goblins in the room(one of them was an executioner with wicked armor), except for one. He was a caged prisoner named Splug, and he gave us information on the rest of the dungeon we were in. We tested his stories, and found they were all real. We were attacked by some zombies, and my new summonings couldn’t do anything but doodle on the walls(first time!), and Briik saved the day with his unfairly mighty lightning swords. Wow. We opened the crypt doors, and were attacked by magical skeletons! They kept reanimating themselves, so Briik, Otoe, and I had the bright idea to go awaken Sir Keegan. The undead paladin told us to just pray the skeletons away, and it worked! Keegan later told the story of his descent into madness, why he could not leave that room, and why we were going to have to probably kill Shadraxle.

Stay Out...REALLY!

We finally got a minute to breathe. We are holed up in a dead end little room in the dungeons of the Keep. We just killed a Blue Slime and decided that we really need to rest. It’s been nonstop mayhem since we walked in here.

First, we had to fight some goblin archers just to get into the place, then we followed the sounds of arguing to a room where some goblins were digging up the floor of a room. Spikey earned his chow then…he fought several other drakes and kept them off our backs while we took care of the goblins. It was perilous what with all the pits and planks and ladders, and all.

We found a hidden door and marked it for later exploration. There was an opening with rough cut stones leading down into what smelled like a dungeon to us. We explored the dungeon, killing rats and other vermin along the way until we found a whole nest of Kruthiks. Kruthik extermination is a chore! The payout was hardly worth it. We also found someones hidey hole stocked with sleeping bags, ale, food rations, etc, but it really stank so we kept moving.

We found a rally old door with a fairly new sign scratched in the mold. It read “Stay Out. Really”. We just looked at each other and started to work on opening the door. Inside was a natural cavern almost full of brackish water. Then the tentacles attacked! It was a lengthy and exhausting battle, but we did manage to kill the thing.

Why is it always kobolds?

We left town and headed out to find the pesky kobold lair. On the way, Aelar and I heard a bunch of kobolds setting up an ambush. Surprise! I ruined their ambush with a devastating shock bomb! It took out half the waiting kobolds in one blow! The rest of the group swooped in and did clean up. One of the little buggers ran off while his comrades were being decimated.

We followed the small sneak behind the waterfall and into thier lair. Unfortunately, he was able to warn the kobolds in the lair and they were positioned to keep us from getting too far in. Ha. Good plan guys, does not hold up to us! After taking down lots of cannon fodder, a few tough guys showed up including one mean looking goblin. For whatever reason, he just stood there and watched us kill his bodyguards. He took one swipe at Briik with each of his battle axes, then just stood there stupidly while we all pounded on him. Oto actually killed him with the pommel of his short sword…and it wasn’t even a direct hit!

We did find a letter from Kalarel on the goblin. He was apparently the one called Irontooth that we’ve been hearing about.

When we went back to town to get our reward, everyone was acting squirrelly.

We arrived at the dragon burial mound, only to find a huge hole in the ground! A little gnome, Agrid, called out to us in a falsely friendly manner. We were not deceived. After a challenging battle, Agrid surrendered. We found Douven in a wriggling sack. He gave us his amulet of health and we found an ancient mirror.

We tied up the surviving foes, and headed back to town. One of the survivors was a drake that Thoradin decided to make his own. Briik coerced Agrid into teaching him his invisibility spell…however, in teaching it, he used it and tried to escape. Briik summarily killed him.

Much care was taken to prevent the suspected cultist of Shar from detecting the prisoners before an arrest could be effected. The party split up, with Barjin, Briik, Aelar, Douven and Otoko guarding the the prisoners while Thoradin and Agrippa went to Wrafton’s Inn to talk to Lord Padraig about the cultists. While they were having a private conversation in the kitchen, Ninaran left the Inn. Otoko and Aelar attempted to stealthily follow the half-elf…unsuccessfully. She went into a small farmers hut outside of the walls where she moved the curtains and started a fire in the fireplace. She then left and went back to town, waving at the hiding adventurers on her way.

Bairwin also left the Inn during the private conversation. However, Thoradin signaled the rest of the party to follow him. Barjin and Briik went to Bairwin’s house to intercept him. Thoradin, Agrippa, and Otoko went to his shop. Aelar was still watching the farmers hut.

The guard came and took the prisoners to the guard house. Douven went to collect his gear from Salvana and visit with Thair.

While half the group was in the shop, they discovered a chapel to Shar in the basement with Bairwin and four other creepy guys, in black robes. They attacked immediately.

The battle was not going well, so Otoko went to get reinforcements. One guard answered the call and Briik and his little brother Barjin came running. Once they were all back in the basement, the battle took a turn in their favor. Several times, the adventurers called for surrender, but the black robed figures fought to the death.

When they were all dead, a survey of the room revealed a hidden chamber. The secret room contained a chest of loot and a well stocked bookshelf including a note from Kalarel to Bairwin.

Lord Padraig honored his agreement that the adventurers could have the contents of the store as reward for saving the town from the cult of Shar, however he wanted to keep the building for himself.

A deal was struck with Thair Coalstriker to sell the items from the store on a commission basis for the adventurers.

The well rested party walked into Winterhaven around breakfast time with a wagon full of slightly dented kobold armor and weapons. After a brief conversation with the guard on duty, they decided to escort Gevarn back to his chapel.

Sister Lenora gave thanks for protecting her acolyte and asked if perhaps the group would be so kind as to provide some proof of evil cult actions in and around Winterhaven. The local lord will not take her seriously until she provides some proof. She also gave the news that recently the kobolds have not been content with attacking travellers but have actually been raiding livestock on outlying farms.

On the way to the local tavern, a pretty female elf approached Aelar and asked him to buy a flower. She had a basket of fresh wild flowers from the countryside and one black iris that she claimed only grows in the evening shadows of Shadowfell Keep. Aelar paid her the 1 sp she was asking for it. During the conversation and haggle, she claimed that she must charge this much because collecting the flower is dangerous. There are goblins lairing in the old ruins of the keep.

While the elves were chatting each other up, the local smithy came out of his shop and welcomed a brother Dwarf and asked for news of home from Thoradin. Thair Coalstriker, the smithy, offered to make any armor repairs the group needed at a fair price after he and Thoradin found some common ground. He pruchased all the kobold armor and weapons and sold the group a few odds and ends besides. After the deals were done, he shared some concerns he’d been having over his neighbor, Bairwin. It seems that Bairwin showed up a couple of years ago with a wagon full of junk, purchased shovels, spades and wheelbarrows from Thair, then by all appearances became an overnight success. Thair can see the shop from his smithy while he works and claims that Bairwin does not have enough customers to account for his apparent success and wealth.

During the unloading, the following information was gathered by the other members of the party as they wandered around the market square and talked to the residents:
- There aren’t any underground caverns or hidden places in town
- The newest person in town is Bairwin, and he’s been in Winterhaven for two years
- The gates are shut at night, and the only people who leave through them are the folks who live outside the walls (the farmers and trappers)
- Most people are more concerned about the kobolds than about the possibility of an evil cult
- If there was a cult, most people believe it wouldn’t be in the town, but rather outside in the countryside
The following information came from the memories of various members of the party:
- Thunder Peaks stand between Cormyr and the Dalelands, with Sembia to the southeast. Since Sembia’s expansion, the road has become more dangerous
- A dracolich known as the Sibilant Shade prowls the peaks. Although dormant in recent years, the dracolich stirs sometimes to prey on particularly treasure-laden caravans that pass through the Thunder Gap along the East Way
- When Cormyr absorbed the nations of Esparin and Orva at its founding, it created a series of fortresses in the Thunder Peaks to guard its eastern border. For reasons now lost to time, these keeps failed and Cormyr withdrew its military might to instead guard the lower lands
- Shar is a greater goddess who, with her sister Selune, created the world. She longs to see a desolate world filled only with evil and despair.
- Following the Spellplague, Shar found it within her power to reshape the Plane of Shadow, which she transformed into the Shadowfell. The Shadowfell is a dark reflection of the world, where undead and shadowy humanoids stalk the land.
- Valthrun’s tower is enchanted, allowing it to remail untouched by the elements
- Valthrun’s tower is at least 1000 years old and dates back to the birth of Cormyr

Briik is intrigued by Valthrun’s tower and goes and knocks on the door. There is no answer, but a helpful citizen assures him that Valthrun the Prescient can be found at the tavern having his lunch.

The group finally makes it to the tavern and split up for several different conversations.

Briik finds Valthrun eating his lunch and ingratiates himself by sending Bargin to fetch cold well water for the old wizard. They talk about many things, and it turns out Valthrun had no contact with Douven and only knows of the dragon burial ground by repuation and legend. He was able to provide Briik a little bit more information on the Shadowfell Keep. He claimed it had been a watchtower built during the old empire and has been a ruin for more than 100 years. Recently he believes the ruins are being used as a lair by a band of goblins. He confirmed that the black iris only grows near the keep and that it may be the result of some old sorcery that “leaked” out of the keep back when it was active. He warned Briik not to touch a plant that grows there that has broad leaves that are blood red. He held his own hands out, palms up and claimed that he was good and hadn’t touched them himself.

Meanwhile, others in the party had spoken to Sylvana Wrafton, the owner of the Inn and had discovered that Douven had rented a room above. Sylvana said that Douven had spent some time with Elian the Old, a farmer who fancies himself an historian, but that one day, he left and never came back. She waited four days, then when someone else wanted to rent the room, she took his pack and personal belongings and stored them in her back room. After Thoradin proved to her that he was kin, she gave him the pack. She also indicated that the Shadowfell Keep is NE of the village and that Valthrun or Delphina Moongem could tell you more. When Lord Padraig walked in, she suggested that someone should tell him about the kobold attack.

Lord Padraig was very interested in the story of the kobold attack and offered the group 100 gp if they could get rid of them, every last one of them. He offered to let the party keep anything they found while cleaning out the kobolds.

Elian the Old confirmed that he had been talking to Douven and gave him directions to the dragon burial site. When pressed, he gave the group the same directions. He claimed that he could tell it was a burial site because it was an unnaturally perfect little hill, but as for the dragon part, that came from stories passed down from his grandfather. He claimed that the Thunder Peaks got their name from the dragons that lived in these mountains but that he had never seen an actual dragon.

Aelar approached a half-elf girl sitting alone and was told to “Go away”.

Agrippa decided to rent all four rooms and go take a nap. Briik, Barjin and Thoradin went to see what Bairwin’s shop was like and to feel out the man himself. While they were there, Aelar and Oko decided to do their own version of investigating and broke into Bairwins house. On his bedside table they found an amulet that matched the design of a wall hanging elsewhere in the house. Aelar took the amulet to show to Agrippa. When Agrippa saw what Aelar had stolen he urged him to take it back so the owner would not know that his secret was out.

That night, the party set up a watch schedule and determine to leave to find the suposed dragon burial ground in the morning.

When they left the city the next morning, they detected another kobold ambush and leapt into battle. This time there were only six kobolds, but each of them fought hard and none of them went down easily. They found another amulet of Shar on the spellcasting kobold, thereby confirming their suspicions that Bairwin is somehow involved in the kobold attacks.

The group did eventually find the dragon burial ground, but it is no longer an unnaturally even hill; it has been excavated.

Everyone showed up to school for the last semester except the teacher. Turns out he got lost over summer vacation. Douven’s wife, Binca, hired 6 of the last semester students to go find him and bring him home.

The group hired on as guards to a caravan heading across the country. Nothing happened on the trip and they made some money.

The caravan’s destination was Arabel, and there they stopped at the Gilded Lady for some ale, and ended up saving an acolyte of Chauntea from a bunch of thugs. Agrippa managed to deal some damage without ever getting off the couch or putting down his stew! When the town guard arrived they earned a 50 gp bounty on the mercenary that started the fight. Ka-ching!

The acolyte went with them the rest of the way to Winterhaven. He thinks there’s a cult of Shar taking hold in his town.

On the way into town, a bunch of kobolds attacked them on the road. Briik took care of them with an awesome flame cyclone!

A blog for your campaign

While the wiki is great for organizing your campaign world, it’s not the best way to chronicle your adventures. For that purpose, you need a blog!

The Adventure Log will allow you to chronologically order the happenings of your campaign. It serves as the record of what has passed. After each gaming session, come to the Adventure Log and write up what happened. In time, it will grow into a great story!

Best of all, each Adventure Log post is also a wiki page! You can link back and forth with your wiki, characters, and so forth as you wish.

One final tip: Before you jump in and try to write up the entire history for your campaign, take a deep breath. Rather than spending days writing and getting exhausted, I would suggest writing a quick “Story So Far” with only a summary. Then, get back to gaming! Grow your Adventure Log over time, rather than all at once.